Top 10: Athletes Without Championships

Disney movies typically have happy endings, but sports careers often have more tragic conclusions. Just take a look at Patrick Ewing, Ryne Sandberg and Steve Largent; they all wished upon a star for a championship season and none of them were able to accomplish such a dream.

There is only one titleholder in each major sport per season and a number of reasons can prevent a great player from winning it. A group of lackluster teammates, a failure in execution, falling to a superior squad or simply bad luck are just a few factors that keep professional athletes from their winning goals.

The reality in sports is that sometimes the beauty goes home with the beast and sometimes she goes home with the prince.

Here’s my list of the top 10 athletes without championships and who have an empty mantle at home:

Number 10

Charles Barkley - NBA

The Round Mound of Rebound earned his nickname for two reasons: he is a burly fellow and he is one of the best rebounders in NBA history. Sir Charles has many accolades on his resume but “NBA Champion” remains absent. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, was a member of two U.S. Olympic Dream Teams and was the league MVP in 1993.

In fact, 1993 was the only season that he ventured to the NBA Finals. As a member of the Phoenix Suns, he helped them to the league’s best record and a Western Conference Championship. At the game he told Michael Jordan, his rival in the title round, that it was the Suns’ destiny to win the title.

The Suns lost in the ’93 Finals and Barkley never had another shot.

Number 9

Warren Moon - NFL

Warren Moon is one of the most prolific passers in NFL history: He threw for more than 50,000 yards and ranked third all-time in passing yardage at the time of retirement.

Moon polished his skills with a successful stint in the CFL and signed with the Houston Oilers in 1984. He immediately became an impact player in the NFL and set an Oilers franchise record with 3,338 passing yards in his first season. Moon broke this record four more times during his career. He led the NFL in passing yards in 1990 and 1991 while becoming only the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.

Moon went to the NFL playoffs seven consecutive times, but his most memorable appearance is a bitter recollection. In 1992, Moon led the Oilers to a 35-3 third-quarter lead over Frank Reich and the Buffalo Bills only to see his team permit one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history and lose 41-38 in overtime.

Number 8

Barry Sanders - NFL

Leaving so soon? That’s the question many NFL fans asked when 10-time Pro Bowl running back Barry Sanders called it quits in the prime of his career. At the time, he was just 1,457 yards short of Walter Payton’s all-time rushing record.

Sanders had five 1,500-yard rushing seasons and in 1997 he became the third player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards. But even as he perennially carried the offense — regardless of who did or didn’t block for him — the Lions failed to put together a strong enough supporting cast to help him get to a Super Bowl.

In his prime, Sanders was mired by mediocre quarterbacking and a sub-par defense, which are the main reasons why he never won more than a single playoff game.

Who holds the single-season rushing record and never won the Super Bowl?